IMPERIAL BEACH (NEWS 8) - Signs warning people to stay out of the water are once again posted in Imperial Beach after a new spill from Mexico dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into the Tijuana River - polluting the South Bay.
For Imperial Beach resident Lina Heitman, the latest sewage spill - reportedly 335,000 gallons from Mexico discharged overnight into the Tijuana River - means even her beloved canines are banned from the water.
"Unbearable, it's unbearable. I don't want to lose my puppies cause they are like my kids. I don't want them to get sick or get any kind of disease," she said.
Daniel Trejo was in Imperial Beach when 230 million gallons of untreated sewage originating from Tijuana fled across the border.
"It's summer time. Everyone wants to come to the beach, but no one wants to in it because of this poop water. You could see where the brown ended miles out into the ocean - the line where the sewage ended it was gross," he said.
The spill earlier this year led to a packed meeting with officials from both the United States and Mexico as angry Imperial Beach residents demanded steps be taken to prevent another incident.
On Friday, Imperial Beach's mayor tweeted, "it never ends. This is why we need a back-up system in the U.S."
While the search for a solution persists, so do questions about what's behind these large-scale spills.
Some Imperial Beach residents believe it may be political payback.
"The first thought in my mind, could it be President Trump's thing with the wall and everything. It really didn't start until after this wall thing started coming up," said Heitman.
Residents will get a chance to ask their questions at next Thursday's citizens forum of the International Boundary and Water Commission in Imperial Beach.